Thrust-bearing.



c w. MERCER. THRUST BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15. 19I5- ;1, 229,306. PatentedJpne 12, 1917.

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CHARLES W. MERCER, 0F GEQRGETQWN, SOUTH CAROLINA.

THRUST-BEARING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 12,1917.

Application filed February 15, 1915. Serial No. 8,286.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. MERCER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Georgetown, in the county of Georgetown and State of South Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Thrust- Bearing, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for grinding and chipping wood and bark used in the manufacture of paper pulp or fuel.

One object of the invention is to provide a machine for this purpose in which a rotary cutter disk is so mounted that breakage of its cutting edges is avoided.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cooperative working relation between the cutting parts of the machine.

Another object of the invention is to pro- Y vide a machine for grinding and cutting waste material which will successfully out either large or small pieces of Wood and thereby increase the capacity of the machine without danger of breakage of itsparts.

Another object is to provide a machine of the type indicated which will automatically widen the cutting space if any foreign material is introduced between the cutting edges.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a machine of the type indicated in which friction and eration is reduced to a minimum.

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and operation of parts and will be more fully described and a set forth in the following specification and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure l is a top plan view of the machine showing the hopper and the cutter disk with its resilient mounting;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine.

I11 the drawings like ,numerals indicate like parts.

The main rectangular frame 1 of the machine is formed preferably of metal and has the open central space 2. On either side of the frame are bearing standards providing suitable bearings 3 and 4 for the shaft 5. This shaft extends beyond the frame on one side and is provided with suitable drive means or pulley 6. Mounted rigidly on the shaft is a circular cutting disk or wheel 7.

power required for op- 7 ing It will be observed thatvthis is located over the opening2 and adjacent the side of the frame farthest from the drive wheel and that the lower portion extends down below the plane of the frame. This disk 7 may be of cast metal and is provided on one face with suitable openings (not shown) through complete the continuity of the bed knife ase.

The hopper 23 is fastened to the bed knife base by the bolts 24 or any other suitable means. The usual hopper opening 25 is noted but it will be observed that the bottom side of the inside ofv the hopper is formed with a V similar in angle to the angle formed by the bed knives 21.

The automatic feature of the machine is made possible by the manner of mounting of the cutter wheel or disk and its shaft on the bearing and the operative relation between these parts. A sliding movement of the shaft may take place toward the hopper until limited by suitable thrust bearings. A movement in the opposite direction is limited by the operation of a spring held thrust bearing. Mounted loosely on the shaft 5 andfree to rotate thereon is a thrust collar 26. This collar has its central opennular shoulder 27 formed on the shaft 5. Extending rearwardly from the thrust collar, on either side of the main shaft, are the rods 28 which pass through the bearings 3 or their standards and are free to move thereln. from the rear standards carry lugs or memenlarged at oneend to receive an anlar 26 which in surface between the shoulder 27 and the collar 26.

A suitable metal casing or cover over the disk may be provided and this may be of any type but preferably should allow sufficient clearance for the rotation of the disk and for its sliding movement axially.

By using the apparatus described the capacity of machines of this type may be greatly increased. For instance in a mill where edgings and blocks are cut on the same machine, this machine will operate withequal facility on either large or small pieces whether slabs or edgings. If a heavy slab is dropped into the hopper of this machine the weight of the slab against the cutting face of the disk will compress the duced by the cooperation of the spring, allowing the disk to slide back and thereby giving the hog greater cutting capacity. As soon as the heavier'pieces have been cut the springs will tend to return the disk to its normal position adjacent the hopper opening where it will operate on the smaller pieces of material. Heretofore separate machines have been utilized to cut up different sizes of material, or devices have been used to stop the operation of the ma chine if the material being cut was tooheavy or coarse. Some of these devices provided parts which were designed to break in order to relieve the strain on the cutting knives. All of these machines have been greatly limited in the scope .of their work by the rigidity ofthe parts, but this machine provides means for relieving thestrain from the cutter knives by the combined effect prospring held slidably mounted rotary cutter disk and the base knife.

Friction is'reduced, less power is required These features provide a wood hog machine havlng a wide range of usefulness.

to operate the machine and time and ex pense for repairs is reduced to a minimum.

' of the individual It will be obvious that the same result could be had by keying the cutter disk to slide on the shaft, but so arranged as to turn with it.

Changes in form, material, and location. parts of the machine may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination of arotary shaft, a

revoluble member mounted on the shaft, a

thrust collar loosely mounted on said shaft adjacent said revoluble member, and spring held means cooperating with said thrust colscribed, a rotary adjusting means secured to said rods for tensioning said springs, axial movement of said.

revoluble member causing a similar axial movement of said thrust collar and subsequent movement of said springs, which latter permit axial movement of the revoluble member and tend to normally hold said rev-' oluble member in one extreme position.

3. In a machine of the character deshaft, bearing standards and main bearings for said shaft,'a thrust collar loosely mounted on said shaft, an

annular boss adjacent to said thrust collar and rotated by said shaft, rods substantially parallel to and on either 'side of said shaft engaging with and extending from said thrust collar, supportingbearings forsaid rods, springs mounted in conjunction with said rods, and adjusting means fortensioning said springs, axial movement of said annular boss causing a similar axial movement of said thrust collar andsubsequent movement of said springsfwhereby axial movement of said rods, thrust collar and boss is permitted.

4:. In a machine of the character described, a rotary shaft, bearing standards and main bearings for said shaft, a thrust collar loosely mounted on said shaft, an annular boss adjacent to said thrust collar and rotated by said shaft, rods substantially parallel to and on either side of said shaft engaging with and extending from said thrustrcollar, to a point beyond one of the main bearings, supporting bearings'for said rods on the opposite side of said main hearing from said thrust collar, springs mounted in conjunction with said rods, and adjusting means for tensioning said springs, axial movement of said annular boss causing a similar axial movement of said thrust collar and subsequent movement of said springs whereby axial movement of said rods, thrust collar and boss is permitted. a

and

5. In a machine of the character described, a main frame, main bearings mounted on either side of said main frame, a rotary shaft supported on said bearings, a revoluble member mounted on said shaft and between said bearings, a thrust-collar loosely mounted on said shaft adjacent said revoluble member, an annular boss between saidrevoluble member and said thrust collar and rotated by said shaft, rods substantially parallel to and on either side of said shaft engaging with and extending from said thrust collar to a point beyond one of said main bearings, supporting bearings for said rods mounted on and carried by said main frame and on the opposite side of said main bearing from said thrust collar and revoluble member, springs mounted in conjunction with said rods, and adjusting means for ten sioning said springs on the opposite side of Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each,

Washington, D. G.

said main bearing from said revoluble member, axial movement of said revoluble member causing a similar movement of said boss, thrust collar and rods and the tensioning of said springs.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES W. MERCER. WVitnesses:

A. CAMPBELL, A. B. PATTERSON.

by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 

